By Denny Jacob
Bumble's Whitney Wolfe Herd is heading back to the driver seat.
The online dating company said Friday that founder Wolfe Herd will return as its chief executive officer in mid-March. She succeeds Lidiane Jones, who was named successor to Wolfe Herd in November 2023 and had been Bumble's top executive for a little over a year.
Jones, who has resigned for personal reasons, will continue as CEO until the transition takes effect.
Shares of Bumble jumped 8.1% to $8.46 in premarket trading Friday. The stock is down 44% over the last 52 weeks.
In connection with Wolfe Herd's appointment as CEO, lead director Ann Mather will become chair of the board.
Bumble has had its struggles with Jones at the helm. It's been criticized for an ad campaign that made light of women frustrated with online dating as well as a pivot in its core approach that lets men sometimes make the first move when looking for a match. The Austin, Texas, company took down the billboards and made several public apologies.
Bumble's leadership ranks have also changed in recent months. Anu Subramanian resigned as chief financial officer, though she remains in the role through March 14. Jones also brought in executives with ties to her previous stints at messaging app Slack Technologies.
Write to Denny Jacob at denny.jacob@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 17, 2025 08:48 ET (13:48 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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